Veggie Burgers

There are a lot of veggie/vegan burger recipes out there but some don't turn out as good (they fall apart, they're too soft, etc). This recipe is adapted from the Engine 2 Diet cook book. It's a vegan burger with no oil and it's super healthy for you. It's also tasty, obviously....

I paired it with some oven roasted sweet potato fries. Super good!

For the burgers

• 1 can black beans (drained) or cooked black beans
• 1/2 can diced tomatoes (drained)
• 2 carrots (peeled and chopped)
• 2 cups oats
• 1 garlic clove
• 3 stems green onion (chopped)
• 1/2 cup parsley 
• 1/2 cup cilantro
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tbsp flaxseed meal

For the sweet potato "fries"

• 2 big sweet potatoes (peeled and cut in strips)
• 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 425 F. 

2. Toss sweet potatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper and place on a baking sheet (don't overcrowd or they will get soggy). Put in the oven (tossing sometimes) for about 20-30 minutes or until crispy and brown.

 Make the burgers!  

3. Put the beans, tomatoes, garlic, carrots, green onion and spices into a food processor (or blender) and chop/slowly blend for a few seconds until mixed through.

4. Put the contents into a bowl (or a stand mixer) and add in the oats and flax seed meal.

5. Check for consistency: adding more oats or more canned tomatoes if needed.

6. Form patties and pan-fry on medium heat in a sprayed skillet. About 5-6 minutes on each side (both sides should be browned and firm).

7. Build your burger! We did not have "burger buns" this time and just used regular sliced bread...with some lettuce, avocado, mustard and tomatoes. We've had these with caramelized onions and they're amazing!


Enjoy!!

Pam & Oscar

Lemon/Lime Fat-Free Yogurt Cake with Warm Blueberry Sauce

Recipe dedicated to my friend Theresa :)

I adapted this recipe to make it fat free but have made it before with 1/2 cup canola oil and it came out great too (I would use the oil if you're going to eat it between a few people...but if it's just two of you then might as well reduce the oil content)

This is so good and easy to make and you just need a few ingredients.

You'll need:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup + 1/3 cup white sugar
• 3 large eggs (cage free-organic)
• 1 1/4 cups fat free plain greek yogurt 
• 3 tbsp apple sauce   (if using canola oil: 1/3 cup, don't use applesauce and only use 1 cup yogurt)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• zest of 2 big lemons or 3 limes
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• half pint blueberries
• 2 tbsp water

Make the cake

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. Grease and flour a loaf pan.

3. In a big bowl mix the eggs, yogurt, applesauce (or oil if using-see above), vanilla extract, lemon/lime zest and 1 cup of sugar.

4. In another bowl mix the flour, baking powder and salt.

5. Slowly add dry ingredients into wet ingredients.

6. Pour batter into prepared pan and put in the oven for about 40-50 minutes (check for doneness and golden brown color).

7. Make the lemon glaze: simmer 1/3 cup lemon juice and 1/3 cup remaining sugar in a small pot on medium heat until "glaze" forms (should look syrup-like).

8. When cake is ready, let cool for about 10 minutes in the pan. Then, pour the lemon-sugar mixture while still farm and let it soak in (I keep the cake in the pan and just pour the mixture..eventually it soaks in and becomes moist).

cake should be golden brown after 40-50 minutes

9. Make blueberry sauce: rinse blueberries in colander, mix in with water for 5 minutes on medium heat. When ready serve on the side (if you pour it all on top you probably want to eat it soon if not it might become soggy).

That's it!! Enjoy

Pam & Oscar

Aji de Gallina: Chicken in Yellow Chili Sauce [healthier version]

I think I mentioned before that I eat chicken/eggs or fish about once a week. Saturday night, I decided to make a Peruvian dish.

Typically, this recipe is relatively unhealthy as it has a lot of cream or whole milk, a lot of cheese and white bread. I made it a little healthier (albeit not completely) by making simple switches. For example, instead of using white bread for the sauce, I used quinoa. Instead of using whole milk or cream, I used almond milk.

I did not use oil either.

You'll need the "aji amarillo" sauce or chilies. I couldn't find the actual chilies (sometimes available frozen at specialty latin stores) but I found an organic aji amarillo paste at Whole Foods:

It came out great!! My husband love it and couldn't tell the difference. He devoured it...

You'll need:

• 2 chicken breasts (I used organic, pasture raised chicken)
• 3 tbsp aji amarillo paste
• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 1 cup "queso fresco"
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• 1 cup almond or soy milk (if you drink regular milk then regular milk will do)
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 1/2 chopped white onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 gold potatoes
• pitted kalamata olives
• 2 boiled eggs
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Boil water in a small stockpot and cook potatoes for about 20 minutes (until soft inside)

2. Make 1 cup of quinoa according to package directions (you can find how to make quinoa here)

3. Make some white or brown rice (typically this dish is served over white rice)

4. In another pot, boil chicken. Boil water and then place chicken breasts in the pot. About 10 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool down. When cooled down - shred chicken by hand.

5. In a big sauce pan, sauté onion in olive oil. Add garlic and simmer until onion is translucent. 

6. Add aji amarillo paste (3 tbsp). 

7. Simmer and add 1/2 cup vegetable/chicken stock. Lower heat a little bit.

8. When quinoa is ready, put in a blender with almond milk, queso fresco, parmesan cheese and nutmeg. Mix until a puree is formed. About 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add salt and pepper to taste and more milk if too dry.  Set this puree aside.

9. Add puree to the pan, mix in with the onions and aji amarillo paste. Add the turmeric powder. Mix well and simmer on low heat. 

10. Add shredded chicken to the pan and add more aji amarillo if needed (it is not that spicy so try it out first). Also, add salt and pepper to taste. 

11. Sauce should look creamy. Add more stock if necessary to loosen it up a bit.

12. When its ready, serve over sliced boiled potatoes and white rice. Also, put some pitted kalamata olives on top and a boiled egg sliced in half.

Enjoy!!!

Pam & Oscar

Tempeh Tacos

Tempeh is a fermented soy product highly popular in Indonesia. It's a great source of protein and fiber and low in fat and cholesterol. Tempeh is less processed than tofu but is not tasteless.

Eating less meat and dairy is definitely good (at least increasing meatless meals) because it reduces cholesterol and saturated fat intake.

For this recipe, I used non-GMO tempeh I found at Whole Foods.

You'll need:

• 1 package tempeh
• 1 bell pepper - sliced
• 1 onion - sliced
• 1/2 cup frozen roasted corn (or freshly roasted corn)
• cilantro (chopped)
• 1 lime
• 1 tbsp tamari (or if you don't have it, soy sauce)
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 tsp cumin
• salt and pepper to taste
• whole wheat or sprouted tortillas

1. In a grill pan or saute pan, cook peppers and onions. If grilling, stir for 10 minutes until softened but slightly charred. If sautéing, cook with little oil so that the onions don't "sweat" much and they don't become soggy (also 10 min approx).

2. Cook corn (in a pan with 1 tbsp water if frozen) for 5 minutes. If using fresh corn, roast or grill for a few minutes.

3. Steam tempeh (in a steamer for 10-15 minutes). If you don't have a steamer then just pan fry until brown. I highly recommend steaming the tempeh because it will allow for more flavors to soak in.

4.  Marinate tempeh with paprika, chili powder, tamari, cumin, and salt & pepper.

5.  Cut tempeh in half and sauté or grill (I grilled it) for a few minutes.

6.  Cut tempeh in cubes (so as to resemble chicken). Serve with sautéed/grilled vegetables.

7. Steam tortillas in the microwave (roll in paper towel and heat for 15 seconds).

8. Serve with homemade guacamole and cashew cream sauce (fake sour cream).

9. Chopped cilantro on the side.

Enjoy!

Pam & Oscar

Warm Green Lentil Salad with Pan-Seared Fish

Lentils are so good for you!

*They have high levels of soluble fiber (possibly helping to reduce cholesterol)
*Almost fat-free
*High in protein
*High in folate and magnesium

If you want to eat light - get more lentils in your diet.

Green lentils have more of a nutty flavor and they taste amazing in salads or spreads (even burgers). We had some fish available so we wanted to eat fish with something light for dinner.

I made this lentil salad to go with it! (and some steamed broccoli just because)
It's extremely easy!!

You'll need

• 1 cup green lentils
• 3 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 orange (juiced)
• 1/2 lemon (juiced)
• 1/4 cup finely julienned red or white onion
• 2 tsp orange zest
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 3 tsp mustard
• 1 tsp agave or honey
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
• 1 tbsp chopped cilantro
• fresh fish filets (we used halibut) --> you can use red snapper, tilapia or even salmon.

1. Prepare the lentils: boil water and add lentils. Simmer on medium heat for 20-25 minutes. If there is still a lot of water left you can drain in a colander. Lentils should be soft but crunchy almost. Set aside.

2.  Start pan-frying the fish. Our halibut filets took about  5 minutes per side (it can take longer depending on the thickness of the fish). If you're using salmon - try to pan fry 80% of the time on the skin side. 

3. Add orange juice, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar and olive oil to a bowl. 

4. Add onions to the bowl and set aside for 5 minutes (quick pickling).

5. Then, mix in in the olive oil, salt, pepper, coriander, honey/agave and mustard to the bowl and mix well.

6. Add the drained lentils, mint and cilantro to the bowl.

7.  Serve fish over lentil salad.

Pam & Oscar

Healthy Pad Thai

Pad thai is a stir-fried rice noodle dish from Thailand. It's common street food and usually has a lot of oil, eggs and fish sauce. Veggie versions include tofu.
This pad thai is a little different because I used peanut butter and also tamari (instead of soy sauce). Also, I used tofu instead of shrimp or chicken but if you want, you can just substitute the shrimp or chicken for the tofu easily.
I absolutely love pad thai and hope you enjoy this recipe!

You'll need:

• 1 package rice noodles
• 1 package tofu (extra firm)
• 1 red bell pepper (shredded/julienned)
• 2 carrots (shredded)
• 1/4 head of green cabbage (shredded)
• 1 big shallot or 1/4 white onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 1/2 cups vegetable stock
• 1 lime
• 2 tbsp peanut butter (unsalted)
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1 1/2 tsp tamari or soy sauce
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (start easy because its very spicy)
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• chopped peanuts/cashews to taste
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Drain tofu and pat dry with paper towels. Press to get water out of tofu. Cut into cubes.

2. Heat a big pan or skillet on medium high heat and add 1 tbsp olive oil.

3. Pan fry tofu for 10 minutes flipping sides. Set aside.

4.  In same pan, add more oil if needed and sauté garlic and onion (chopped). Sauté until translucent.

5. Add carrots and bell pepper to the pan with 1 1/2 tsp tamari or soy sauce.

6. Add chili powder and ginger. sauté and then add 1 cup of the vegetable stock to loosen up the sauce.

7. Saute until vegetables look cooked (simmer for a couple of minutes).

8. Add cabbage and remaining spices (paprika, coriander, cayenne pepper). Add more stock (1 cup) and simmer.

9.  Prepare noodles according to package direction.

10. Then add the peanut butter and brown sugar and mix well.

11. Then, add tofu cubes and simmer until sauce thickens. If the sauce needs more liquid just add more vegetable stock.

12. Add the rice noodles to the pan.

13. Adjust seasoning: add more sugar, soy sauce or stock (if too salty, too sweet or too thick).

14. Turn off pan and serve with chopped peanuts, chopped cilantro and lime wedges.

15. You have to squeeze some lime on this dish - it does make a huge difference before eating. 

That's it. Enjoy!!

Pam & Oscar

Vegan Banana-Oatmeal Pancakes & Sunday Breakfast

These pancakes are: dairy-free, egg-free, oil-free and vegan. A few ingredients and you will get fluffy and fiber filled pancakes.

You might be wondering...what about the eggs/milk and butter necessary to make tasty pancakes? Well, bananas are great substitutes for eggs and oil/butter. Almond/soy/rice milk are great substitutes for milk.

Here's a quick guide for easy substitutes:

1 egg =
 1/3 cup applesauce
 1 small banana
 1 tbsp ground flax seed in 3 tbsp warm water

1 c butter/oil =
1 banana
1/2 cup Greek/plain yogurt
1/2 cup applesauce

You really don't need butter or eggs or milk to make these pancakes and they are much healthier for you (they have oats and cinnamon and bananas).

You'll need

• 1 1/4 cups oats (not instant)
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour (or whole wheat flour)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon 
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 bananas 
• 1 cup almond milk

- Blend dry ingredients (oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt) until the oats look like flour.

- Add the bananas and pulse or blend on low speed for 1 minute.

- Add the almond milk and vanilla extract and blend 20 seconds.

- Batter should not be too runny and should look somewhat like this:

 - In a griddle, or a skillet, heat some oil spray on medium-high heat until pan is hot enough for the batter.
- Make small pancakes and flip after 1, 2 minutes (until you see a lot of bubbles).
- Serve with honey, maple or agave syrup and some bananas on top.

We had "brunch" on Saturday so we paired the pancakes with a "sweet potato hash."

Quick recipe for the hash:

- Cut sweet potatoes and carrots into small cubes/pieces.
- Toss with 2 tbsp olive oil, salt, pepper and paprika to taste.
- Roast on a baking sheet n at 400 F for 30-40 minutes.

 Once the hash is ready, sauté some mushrooms and add to the potatoes.

Fry a couple of eggs (or poach) and serve.

Pam & Oscar

Buddha Bowl

Some of you may have heard about "buddha bowls." Basically, they're just bowls of food composed of 3 things:

1. grains as a base (brown rice, quinoa, millet or barley)
2. vegetables
3. a vegan sauce/gravy (cashew based, tahini based, peanut sauce, etc).

This time, I used the vegetables I had on hand and chose to steam them so they could still have a little bit of crunch left. I love to make cashew-based sauces because they just taste creamy and cheese-like. I've seen some buddha bowls with almond-based sauces that are amazing. Peanuts are good too.

You can choose to put some raw vegetables on top to make it even healthier (maybe some shredded carrots?). Anything you like would probably work here.

I made a miso-based cashew gravy. You can buy the miso paste at any supermarket (Whole Foods, obviously, always has it on hand). Miso is made out of fermented brown rice and soybeans. Great for you.

For the bowl

• 1 head broccoli
• 1 package mushrooms (baby bella, shiitake, etc)
• 1 zucchini 
• 1 cup green beans

For the miso based sauce

• 2 tbsp miso paste (i used yellow paste)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 1/2 cups cashews
• water (to cover)
• salt and peper to taste
• 1/2 tsp paprika

- Make quinoa, brown rice or other grain according to package directions or use frozen packs.
-  Steam the vegetables: boil water in half of the pot and then put vegetables in the basket. Steam for 5 minutes (exactly). (Zucchini is best stir fried and not steamed).
- Set vegetables aside.
- Sautee mushrooms in 1 tsp olive oil. About 4 minutes. Set aside.


- Make the sauce: Mix ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth and paste-like.

- Assemble the bowl: grain first, then vegetables and top with sauce. Also put some pumpkin seeds on top for crunch.

Pam & Oscar

Homemade Fettuccine with Pesto or Vegan Alfredo

Making homemade pasta is super easy. A few ingredients and the dough is ready. It's also easy to store the dough for a few days in the fridge or freezer.

You can make the fettuccine with any type of pasta maker but I have the KitchenAid attachment (makes my life so much easier).

We had this with some homemade pesto but you can also make a vegan Alfredo sauce that is amazing. I am putting both sauce recipes on here!

You'll need:

• 3 cups of flour (+ 1 cup for dusting, adjusting dough)
• 4 eggs
• 2 tbsp water
• 1/2 tsp salt

How to make pasta

- Put all ingredients (3 cups of flour, 4 eggs, 2 tbsp water and salt) in a bowl and mix on speed 2 with the "paddle" attachment on the KitchenAid mixer. If not, mix on speed 2 with any mixer/blender.

- Add more water in 1 tbsp increments if the dough is too dry. Alternatively, if too liquid add more flour.

- Mix for 1 or 2 minutes.

- Change the attachment to the "dough hook" and knead dough in the bowl for 2 more minutes. If you don't have a stand mixer then knead the dough by hand for 4 minutes.

- Let the dough rest for 20 minutes in the fridge.

- Cut the dough in 3 pieces and flatten out each piece to be used in a rectangle shape. Use flour to prevent the dough from sticking (and add flour as necessary). 

- Go piece by piece and put the dough through the pasta attachment (the sheet roller) and roll the pasta dough through the roller on the #1 setting. Fold pasta in half and run again through #1 setting (do this twice).

run pasta through sheet roller

- Set roller on #2 and run pasta through there (repeat same step as before but on #2). Do this with #3 and #4. 

- If you want thin fettuccine do it on #5 too. If you want a thicker one just leave it on #4.

- Adjust and add flour to each side of the dough.

- Once the pasta is rolled place the sheet somewhere flat and change the attachment to the fettuccine pasta cutter. 

- Run the sheet through there and cut in half if noodles are too long.

fresh fettuccine

- Once you do all of the pasta dough - boil for 3 minutes or until al dente. 

Making Pesto

 You'll need

• 1/3 cup whole walnuts (raw unsalted)
• 1/3 cup parmesan cheese
• 1 cup fresh basil
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice

- Just blend or put ingredients in a food processor until sauce is ready.

**oil free pesto: instead of oil use almond/soy milk (1/3 cup) or water and add more nuts and basil.

Vegan Alfredo Sauce

You'll need:

• 3/4 cup + 3 tbsp almond milk.
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• pinch nutmeg
• 1/3 cup cashews

- Mix ingredients in a blender until ready and creamy. Adjust consistency by adding more cashews or more almond milk.

pasta?

- Heat sauce up in a saucepan for a few minutes and serve with hot pasta.

Pam & Oscar

Coconut Tofu and Vegetable Curry

This is a great vegan curry dish that will fill you up without added oils. Generally, you have to be careful with tofu because it can be GMO. I used sprouted non-GMO tofu from Trader Joes (they also sell it at Whole Foods). 

You can use any mix of vegetables...whatever you have on hand. This time I had: potatoes, broccoli, carrots and eggplant. The curry would work perfectly with red or green bell pepper and pumpkin too.

I used light coconut milk to cut the fat and used vegetable stock (low sodium). You can serve this curry over rice (white or brown) or over quinoa like I did here. For tips on how to make quinoa you can click here. 

Husband approved.

You'll need:

• 1 package firm tofu (cut in big chunks)
• 1/2 eggplant (cubed)
• 1 big red or russet potato (peeled and cubed)
• 3 carrots (peeled and cubed)
• broccoli (half a head)
• coconut milk (1 can)
• 1/2 onion (finely chopped)
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• basil leaves
• salt and pepper to taste

How to make it:

- Drain tofu and pat it dry. Cut into big chunks.
- Heat a big pan on medium heat with some oil spray or a couple tablespoons canola oil.
- Pan-sear tofu chunks until brown on each side  (about 5 minutes). Set aside.
- In a food processor make the curry paste: add onion, garlic and spices and puree until a paste is formed.

make the curry paste in a food processor or blender

- Sautee the curry paste on a teaspoon of oil (same pan). After a couple of minutes, add the carrots and potatoes and 1 cup of vegetable stock. Add salt and pepper. 
- Cover and simmer for 15 minutes on medium-high heat.

sautee potatoes and carrots in curry paste

 - Add eggplant and broccoli. Simmer 6-7 minutes in medium-high heat. 
- Add tofu and coconut milk. 
- Finally, after a few more minutes, test the sauce and adjust seasoning as needed. Add some chopped basil leaves.
- Serve over quinoa or rice.

ENJOY!!

is dinner ready yet?

Pam & Oscar

Grilled halibut tacos with creamy cashew coleslaw

I was in the mood for some fish tacos today so we stopped by the market and grabbed some fresh wild caught halibut. I love coleslaw on top of fish tacos but it's not a very healthy meal. This coleslaw, however, has no mayonnaise and no oil; cashews and water make the sauce.

This is a very healthy meal and a good way to eat fish. Nowadays, I'm only eating fish or chicken once or twice a week.

*cashews are rich in magnesium, dietary fiber and healthy oils (that can reduce risk for cancer and heart disease)
*cabbage is rich in fiber, folic acid, vitamin C and some B vitamins

You'll need

• 1 lb of white fish (I used wild halibut)
• 1/4 head of red cabbage (shredded)
• 1/4 head of green cabbage (shredded)
• 1 cup raw cashews
• 1 tsp honey
• 1/4 onion (chopped)
• 3 limes
• 1 jalapeño (seeded and finely chopped)
• 1 big tomato or 2 small roma tomatoes (chopped)
• a few cilantro leaves
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• salt and pepper to taste

Fish
- Before grilling the fish, pat the filets dry with a paper towel.
- Season fish with cayenne pepper, paprika and salt and pepper.
- Put fish back in the fridge for a few minutes.

Cashew cream sauce
I recommend starting the sauce off first because you have to wait 50-60 mins for the cashews to be ready. While the cashews soak, make the coleslaw.

- Soak cashews in hot (boiled) water for 50-60 mins.
- When cashews are ready: put them in a high speed blender with 1/2 cup water, juice of 1 lime, half of the chopped onion, half of the jalapeño and the honey.

Water, cashews, onion and jalapeño 

Sauce should look creamy

- Set aside to use as a sauce. 


Coleslaw
- Start off by washing the cabbage heads and cutting the core. Take out some of the leaves (these are very dirty as they protect the inside). 
- Cut in quarters and store the rest in the fridge.

Mix in shredded cabbage with lime juice

- Shred the cabbage with a mandolin or just finely julienne chop them. 
- Put shredded cabbage in a bowl with the juice of 1 lime and let it sit for a few minutes.
- When the cashew cream sauce is ready (see above) mix in half the sauce and add chopped cilantro to the cabbage. 
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve in a bowl

Tomato Salsa
- Chop the tomatoes 
- Chop some cilantro
- Mix chopped tomatoes, cilantro and chopped jalapeño in a bowl
- Add juice of 1 lime, salt, pepper and cumin.
- Serve in a bowl.


Finally, grill the fish about 5-6 minutes each side when the coleslaw and tomato salsa is done. 

Cut/shred fish in small pieces to serve with tacos.

Assemble tacos: coleslaw first, then the fish pieces, some tomato salsa and an extra dollop of cashew sauce.

You can add avocado too (I didn't have any this time). Hope you love this!

Oscar waiting for his taco

Pam & Oscar